Cicciones with Pork Ragu

Cicciones with Pork Ragu

I love the chewy texture of this rustic Sardinian pasta – and the name which means ‘little fat ones’! This is the same pasta dough used to make lombrichi, the ‘worm-shaped’ Sardinian pasta you’ll see on the video below. The full-flavoured Serra Lori rosato, made from a blend of indigenous Sardinian red grapes, is a great match with cicciones.

Serves 4–6 as a starter

Ingredients
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 stalk celery heart, finely diced
  • Salt flakes, to taste
  • 300g Italian-style pork sausages, skins removed
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon finely sliced oregano leaves
  • 400g canned peeled tomatoes, crushed
  • 50g freshly grated Pecorino Sardo

 

Hand-rolled Pasta Dough

  • 270g bakers’ flour, plus extra for dusting
  • Pinch salt flakes, crushed
  • ¾ cup warm water, more or less
Method
  1. Make Hand-rolled Pasta Dough: put flour and salt into a bowl. Add half the water and mix, adding enough of the remaining water a little at a time to form a firm dough, you may not need it all. Tip onto a clean floured workbench and knead well with for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
  2. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (overnight is fine).
  3. Dust a tray and half a bench well with flour. Place Pasta Dough on the unfloured part of the bench.
  4. Break off about a fifth of the dough and use the palms of your hands to roll it into a 1cm-thick log.
  5. Cut the log into chickpea-sized pieces and roll them between the palms of your hands into little balls.
  6. Dust well with flour and set aside on the flour-dusted tray. Repeat with remaining dough.
  7. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add oil, onion, carrot, celery and a good pinch of salt and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, until tender.
  8. Uncover and cook for a further 5 minutes or so, until lightly coloured.
  9. Add sausage meat, spread it out evenly in the pan and cook, without stirring, for a few minutes until well browned.
  10. Turn and cook the other side for a few minutes, until browned, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces.
  11. Stir in rosemary and oregano, then tomato.
  12. Add a cup of water to the tomato tin, pour it into the pan and stir to combine well, crushing the tomato and meat.
  13. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring regularly and crushing the meat and tomato, until it forms a thick sauce.
  14. Once sauce has reached this stage, continue cooking over a low heat and bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil (10g salt for every litre of water).
  15. Add cicciones to the water and boil for about 12 minutes, until tender.
  16. Strain well retaining some of the cooking water.
  17. Add cicciones and most of the Pecorino to the sauce and toss for a minute or 2 to coat well. If it’s a bit dry, toss through a couple of tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to give a creamy consistency.
  18. Serve into flat pasta bowls, top with remaining Pecorino and drizzle with oil.

Like this recipe?
You’ll love A Month In Sardinia Recipes+Videos Online Cooking Class!

Share page on:

Recipe Video

Order a Recipe Kit

What Our Cooks Say

Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Melisa (Beacon Hill, NSW)
Read More
We made the pot-sticker dumplings and bang bang chicken – once again both exceeded our expectations. My husband keeps saying it’s better ordering this than going out to restaurants as the recipes and food quality are amazing.
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Glennis (Caringbah South, NSW)
Read More
The whole Be Inspired experience has helped me love cooking again. I was sick of cooking the same old things - meal time is a lot brighter thanks to you Roberta.
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Kate (Killara, NSW)
Read More
I loved the Fresh & Easy Chicken – simple instructions, only a few ingredients and the time factor absolutely spot on. Then came the highlight, the taste, no compromise on the enjoyment of that meal! For the time poor Fresh & Easy hits the mark indeed.
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Jen (Tamarama, NSW)
Read More
Thank you for stocking our pantry with such authentic Ingredients and quality produce ... I’ve so enjoyed picking fresh leaves from the herb pots and loved listening to the chef's playlist while cooking. We really like the flexibility of cooking over a couple of days and changing the order we cook the dishes in when we want to.
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Katrina (Arncliffe, NSW)
Read More
I am absolutely loving these boxes! There are Ingredients I have never worked with before so having the confidence to try something new is so much fun! The recipes are just amazing and the notes on what can be prep’d beforehand are a great help too. Thank you so much.
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Nathan (Manly, NSW)
Read More
Loving Be Inspired! Felt like a kid opening up a Christmas present when the box arrived. Fresh herb pots are a nice touch!
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Richard (Earlwood, NSW)
Read More
Thanks so much for the Fresh & Easy Meal, it was excellent. We regularly get another meal kit delivery – your offering is vastly superior and a similar price, so big ticks.
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Sandra (Garran, ACT)
Read More
I'm a competent cook whose learned so much from the Recipes+Videos Packs. The recipes are yummy and Roberta’s video guidance offers so many little tips to improve flavour and organise the flow of preparation. I enjoy her warmth, sense of humour, and ability to giggle at herself when she occasionally messes up.
Previous
Next
Subscribe To My Newsletter & Get A Free Online Italian Cooking Class (RRP $39)